Welcome to Saint Mary’s: a tight-knit and committed community, home to passionate learners and committed citizens. / Photo by Francis Tatem
Saint Mary’s Is ‘One of the Nation’s Best Institutions for Undergraduates,’ Writes The Princeton Review
In the list of top colleges for 2025, The Princeton Review zeroes in on the qualities that make Saint Mary’s unique—and calls the university an ideal choice for students looking for a “best fit.”
In The Best 390 Colleges: 2025 Edition, The Princeton Review profiles and recommends Saint Mary’s College of California as one of the nation’s top higher education institutions for undergraduates. The organization also includes Saint Mary’s in the “Best West” listing of colleges by region.
The guide is based on a national survey of more than 168,000 students. Students answered 89 questions to rate their colleges on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences.
What do students have to say about Saint Mary’s? For starters, they highlight the institution’s robust academic offerings with professors who earn high marks for being interesting and accessible. Students also value how, with an ethnically and intellectually diverse student body, the people and mission of the College foster a sense of community. “From the first day of orientation I knew that the student body was very accepting,” says one student.
“I am delighted that The Princeton Review included Saint Mary’s in this survey and spoke to our Gael students to get their perspective on what makes this such a special place,” says Roger J. Thompson, President of Saint Mary’s College of California. “It is clear that our students have a keen appreciation for our campus and the unique blend of attributes our Colleges possesses. But we are not going to rest on our laurels: We are going to continue to do everything we can to create the best student experience found at any college, not only on the West Coast but in the United States.”
Personalized Attention to Ensure Students Succeed
As the guide notes, SMC students appreciate the fact that a 10:1 ratio of students to faculty opens doors to “amazing relationships with professors thanks to the small classroom sizes.” Collegiate Seminar is a signature part of Saint Mary’s academics and earns well-deserved attention: “Class discussions encouraged,” the guide notes. More than that, faculty “make sure that you know everything that you need to prepare you for life” and are “always accessible for meetings and office hours because they want their students to succeed.”
“We are going to continue to do everything we can to create the best student experience found at any college, not only on the West Coast but in the United States.”
—Saint Mary’s President Roger J. Thompson
That success reaches beyond graduation, the guide points out. Faculty are “an incredible resource for internships, grad school, [and] jobs,” and “are always trying to get us involved in outside events.”
Encouragement to get involved and commitment to care are things students see among the staff at Saint Mary’s as well—from Student Life to the Career Center, from Financial Aid to Club Sports. “Career services are great,” says one highlight. And, more broadly, “The staff have been here for all of us students every step of the way.”
What’s also clear in the guide: That sense of care defines who Saint Mary’s students are, too. “Communal, friendly, and intimate” are words students use to describe the nature of SMC—with the College providing active support for student groups.
Exploring the wider Bay Area—from the East Bay hills to the iconic sights and active cultural scene of San Francisco—is also a big part of the student experience. One special factor in this part of California: Weather is “beautiful no matter [the] time of year.” The guide also notes that the SMC Campus Activities Board makes it easy to get to events throughout the bay. (Case in point: That includes some free tickets for a San Francisco Giants game this weekend!)
Some of the biggest excitement in Bay Area sports happens right here on campus. “Everyone loves the Gaels,” the guide summarizes. Gaels Men’s Basketball draws national attention, and they’re the reigning West Coast Conference champs. “Game days are some of the biggest of the year,” the guide notes, and in the words of one student, “basketball is huge here.”
Saint Mary’s Men’s Rugby has won multiple national championships—including in 2024, defeating Navy to garner the trophy. Gaels Softball claimed the WCC title in 2024 as well. Altogether SMC is home to 18 Division 1 teams, with Club Sports offering a host of other opportunities for intercollegiate play—for men’s teams, women’s teams, and co-ed teams.
Making the Cut
Only about 15% of US institutions of higher learning are profiled in the guide. The Princeton Review chooses the colleges for the guide based on data it annually collects from surveys of 2,000 college administrators about their institutions’ academic programs and other features. Students then offer their ratings, leading to the final selection.
“We salute Saint Mary’s for its outstanding academics, and its many other impressive offerings,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review's editor-in-chief and lead author of The Best 390 Colleges. “We’re delighted to recommend it as an ideal choice for students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.”
Since 1992, The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges has showcased the schools it recommends to college applicants and their parents as the nation’s best for undergraduate academics.
